During his senior high school years in Toronto during the late 1970s, a fortuitous lesson in economics fuelled Quinn’s concern for the state of the world, its needs, and how he might eventually contribute to its care. At the same time, he was increasingly taken by mathematics and the sciences.

Coincidentally, two of Quinn’s older brothers introduced him to the idea that the work of Bernard Lonergan would eventually be important for the sciences, humanities, and, in particular, global economics. He did not yet appreciate implications, but was intrigued to learn that the ongoing global economic crisis had its roots in errors that Lonergan identified in the 1930’s and 40’s.3Lonergan’s writings have been made available in the past two decades by the University of Toronto Press, as the Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan. There will be 25 volumes. See, for instance,Lonergan, Bernard. For A New Political Economy, vol. 21, edited by Philip McShane. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. Lonergan's work in economics has not yet caught the attention of mainstream economists.

With the help of mentors, Quinn decided to pursue an academic career in mathematics. Mathematics had its own fascination for him. It also furnished a relatively open context for growth in the modern scientific context that at the same time allowed for the later possibility of following up on challenges issued in Lonergan’s work.

Quinn went on to earn various degrees in mathematics. His graduate work was in operator theory, a body of 20th century mathematics that emerged from quantum mechanics. He has published in mathematics, applications of mathematics and mathematics pedagogy. He has also been gradually increasing his profile in publications drawing on Lonergan’s work. Along the way, he has enjoyed being able to work with colleagues from various departments and that way contribute to and learn from “interdisciplinary” projects. Like many others, Quinn has had the good fortune of being helped by the works of Philip McShane. Quinn has been gradually expanding the range of his scholarship in order to contribute to the enterprise mapped out by Bernard Lonergan and advanced by McShane.

A main part of Quinn's efforts now are toward growing in understanding and encouraging implementation of Lonergan’s three major achievements. There is what Lonergan called “generalized empirical method” in the global academic enterprise. There is Lonergan’s later discovery of a normative eightfold collaborative division of labor (“functional specialization”) that, in Lonergan’s words, “will be found, I think, to overcome or, at least, counter-balance the endless divisions of field specialization” (Lonergan, 1975, 126). There is also Lonergan’s discovery of economic science, implementation of which will be crucial in this time of terrible cultural and global damage being wrought by a flawed establishment economics. Along with John Benton and a gradually increasing group of scholars in the world, Quinn hopes to communicate the importance of these ideas to journalists, economists, the Academy and society.

Lonergan’s writings have been made available in the past two decades by the University of Toronto Press, as the Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan. There will be 25 volumes. See, for instance,Lonergan, Bernard. For A New Political Economy, vol. 21, edited by Philip McShane. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. Lonergan's work in economics has not yet caught the attention of mainstream economists.